Dr. Vasanthi Mariadass is currently the Chair of the Liberal Arts-Design Program at Vidyashilp University. She is a researcher, teacher, and former Dean for New Humanities and Design at Srishti Manipal Institute for Art Design Technology. She earned her Ph.D. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, US, and her Master's from Clarion University, US. My current research is engaging with Environmental and Climate Change topics and she brings them to the classroom for design, and liberal arts students. She has worked at Srishti Manipal for the past 22 years. Formerly, she taught at New York University, New School of Social Research, Hunter College.

Her domain expertise is in the Visual Studies / Film Studies program, Contemporary Art, Cultural Studies, Critical Thinking, and Critical Theory, and the focus of the aforementioned background culminates in Postcolonial and Environmental Humanities. More specifically, her work includes experimental cinema, visual essays, documentaries, and docu-fiction and most of them engage with environmental issues. I am also an approved Ph.D. guide by Manipal University.

She had the opportunity to conduct research residencies at IISc, Bangalore, Humboldt University, Berlin, Freiburg University, Germany, and Gothenburg University, Sweden. Her background has led her to do analytical, theoretical, and practice-based research. For six years (2013-2019) she has collaborated on a project De/Globalize, with the research team led by Prof. Daniel Fetzner, Offenburg University and Marion Mangelsdorf Freiburg University, Germany that transpired at IISc, Bangalore. This is an Artistic Research project at the nexus of Design, Art. Humanities and Science with climate change as the common denominator. An eminent and open-minded scientist Dr. Raghavendra Gadagkar from the Ecological Studies Department collaborated with us and largely inspired the project: Hence IISc became the site of research and production. (Other involvement includes the Indo-French Cell for Water Science and Earth Science.) De/globalize was also guided and inspired by other eminent thinkers such as Professor Bruno Latour (Anthropology), Jean-Luc Nancy (Philosophy), and Thomas Elsaesser (Film Theorist). In addition, the collaborative art installation Critical Zone is on exhibition in India and Germany. Indeed, it is currently touring major cities in India through the Goethe Institute, and it reached Bangalore this Feb 2024.

She has national and international experience in engaging with teaching, researching, adding/structuring programs with interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary explorations. Recently, she conducted a workshop at the National Institute of Design, NID Bengaluru on Water Matters, titled Consciousness and Redesigning Perception (11 to 22 Dec 23), a subject which is at the core of her current research work and concern. She had brought 3 Erasmus Exchanges to Srishti Manipal from the University of the Aegean, Greece, Offenburg University, Germany, and Paris 1 from France.

• Ph.D., (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) - Film Studies, Critical Theory
• Master's from Clarion University, US.

• Film Studies,
• Cultural Studies,
• Critical Theory,
• Environmental Humanities,
• Art Appreciation,
• Art History

Film, Critical Theory, Contemporary Art, Environmental Humanities. On works by Jean-Luc Godard, Harun Farocki, Werner Herzog, Marzia Farhana, Tejal Shah

• “Reverberation of Waves: To See with your Ear.” Oxford Art Journal. Volume 43. Oxford University Press, 2019.
• “Critical Zone: The Earth Below Our Feet.” Designing Sustainability for All. Vol 3 Edited by Marcelo Ambrosio Carlo Vezzoli. Published by Edizioni Poli.design. (805- 812) Milano Polytechnico, Italy.
• “Fragments.” Mbody e.V.-Kunstlerische Forschung in Medien, Somatik, Tanz und Philosophie, Zasiusstrasse 78a, 79102 Freiburg/Germany.
• “Rhizome” Online Publication in Metaspace, 2018. Read More

• Two Earth Labs (July 2018) Link IISc, Freiburg University, Srishti Institute of Art Design Technology, Offenburg University, Germany.
• Critical Sciencing Zone: Workshop and Exhibition (March 2018) IISc, Srishti Institute of Art Design Technology, Offenburg University, Germany.
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  2024 Critical Zone exhibition in Bangalore at Goethe Institute 2022-2023 Critical Zone exhibition in Calcutta, Mumbai and Delhi at Goethe Institute

Sudha Hariharan,
Bijey Narayanan,
Mallikarjun Naralasetty,
Miu Patchaporn.